[United Kingdom Trip to London and the Lake District, September 19 – October 1, 2013].

Friday, September 20, 2013; Hampstead Heath. Dallas and I meet Hannah and her Australian Shepherd, Estel, by the Hampstead underground station in London. We walk to Hampstead Heath, a large parcel of parkland located about four miles from central London. The heath is a mixture of grassy fields, open oak woods and ponds. While I understand that the ground is often quite muddy, especially in the spring, it was dry on this warm and sunny fall afternoon. The heath is full of birds, and especially magpies and ducks. I have brought a ball and play catch with Estel, almost losing it in a blackberry bramble. The heath offers nice views of the surrounding wooded suburban hills and of the London skyline, in the distance. We walk across several bridges over small streams and along the banks of several small ponds. Estel joins several other dogs, taking a swim in one that has a beach reserved for dog play. We wander around the heath for several hours and then have dinner at a nearby pub, the Holly Bush. About two and a half hours.

Saturday, September 21, 2013; River Wey Navigation. Dallas and I joined a Philosophy for All walk led by Andrew Dodsworth, one of this association’s officers. The weather was fairly warm, with overcast skies. Our party of five met at London’s Euston station and took the train to the town of Worpleston, in London’s suburbs about thirty-five miles to the southwestern. The train ride took about an hour during which time we had an animated discussion of politics, philosophy and current events. The first segment of our walk was along country lanes and public footpaths, through rather affluent suburbs. Some of the area is wooded and many of the oak trees are quite tall. We passed many interesting ornamental trees, such as holly, hawthorn and even eucalyptus, well-landscaped gardens, and pastures with cows, sheep, goats and horses. The footpath was often bordered by hedges of holly or hawthorn, or by blackberry brambles with ripe fruit; we pick some as we pass by. Our path connected with the River Wey Navigation, an old canal that follows that river; most of the second half of our path is along it. We pass numerous locks and weirs, as well of several old houses once occupied by the lock-masters. We also pass the ruins of the 12^th Century Newark Augustinian Priory, now just a set of crumbling but still-tall walls, and a much better preserved low brick tower, said to have been occupied by John Dunne in the early 1600’s. The canal is still in use, and we passed – or were passed by - many “narrowboats” (long and narrow decked boats build specially for canals) plying its waters or tied up along its banks. The Pyrford Marina, a rectangular harbor connected to the canal, had several dozen. A couple of recreational kayakers paddled by, as did an Olympic-style sprint kayak team, consisting of teenagers padding a K-2 and two K-1’s and a coach running along the river bank. We took a midday detour to the town of Send Marsh, where we ate lunch at a pub, the Saddler Arms. I enjoyed a ham and cheese sandwich. We arrived at West Byfleet in the late afternoon, having walked about ten miles (according to Andrew’s GPS odometer). We had a snack at a pub, the Catherine of Aragon, and then boarded the train at the nearby station and headed back to London. A very pleasant all-day excursion, with about four hours of walking.

Sunday, September 23, 2013. I walked today in Hyde Park and Regents Park, two large formal parks in central London. I first looped through Hyde Park, circling both Round Pond and the Long Water – Serpentine. These lakes have many waterfowl, the ones that I saw included Canada Geese, Common Gulls, Coots, Cormorants, Egyptian Geese, Grey Herons, Greylag Geese, Mallard Ducks, Mute Swans and Tufted Ducks. This was my first sighting of Egyptian Geese; their coloration, though muted, is very unusual and interesting, though their form is pretty much the goose norm. The park is laid out formally, with well-mowed grassy fields, tree-lined lanes and flower beds. I was surprised that so many flowers were blooming this late in the season. The north end of the Long Water has fountains and formal pools. I’m sure that on a sunnier day they would have been quite beautiful and full of sparkles; as it was, today they were a bit drab. After leaving Hyde Park, I made my way to Regents Park, through rather confusing London streets. I was especially annoyed by streets that changed names every block, for my map often showed only one the many. I entered Regency Park at its southwest corner and circled it perimeter, clockwise. I walked along the edge of a pond, sighting several Grey Herons, a species somewhat smaller than, but just as beautiful as, the Great Blue Herons of North America. I also passed the zoo, spotting a giraffe beyond the fence, but did not enter it. The 22.50 Pound fee was too high for what would have been for me a brief walk-through. I then walked an inner loop around Queen Mary’s Gardens, entering through a gilded wrought iron gate. It was many beds of beautiful roses, so many that the smell is pervasive. I also toured a small pond with large Cypress trees, with their characteristic knobby root-projections. I walked back along Oxford Street, a major commercial area with many department stores, and cut through Hyde Park again, passing both the Triumphal Arch and the Prince Albert Memorial on the way. Our hotel (well, actually a hostel), the Baden Powell House, is located a few blocks from Queen’s Gate, near the Natural History Museum. About five hours.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013. We arrived in Windermere (town) yesterday afternoon after a four-hour train ride and are staying at Oakmere, a rental house on Oak Street, a few minutes’ walk down from the train station. I walk with Estel, our daughter’s Australian Shepherd dog, to the park at the end of Oak Street. This park is bordered by a small stream and contains a large field, a playground, tennis and croquet courts and a soccer field. We spend a few minutes in the park playing ball on the grass, and then walk the main road down to the adjacent town of Bowness-on-Windermere, which is on the shore of Windermere. It is a long, skinny lake, about ten miles long and a half mile wide. The town is on its western shore, about halfway along its length. We walk down to the beach and stand among many birds – gulls, ducks, geese and swans – feeling the water. It is colder than I expected. We then head back, detouring through two tiny, but nicely landscaped parks that are along the east side of the main road. About an hour.

Later in the Day, Dallas, Estel and I walk to Orrest Head, a small hill north of Windermere (town) that commands a wide view of the lake and surrounding countryside. The route takes us along country lanes and public footpaths, through a patchwork of farms and woods. The Common Wood is the first large wooded area we come to; I am surprised both by the large size of its trees and by the abundance of moss and ferns beneath its canopy. Sheep and cows are grazing in the pastures, which are set off by five-foot high stone walls made of the local shale. We cross the walls either through wooden gates or by climbing over them using flagstone steps that jut out from the walls. The summit of Orrest Head is open, with patches of grass between rock ledges (shale, with glacial grooves). After admiring the view of the lake and of the surrounding Cumbrian Mountains, we continue northward to Far Orrest, a farm. We then connect with another footpath that takes us east of Orrest Head, though High Hay Wood and across a little stream. The woods are getting dark, for the afternoon is wearing on, and we hear owls hooting. About two hours.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013. In the morning, I take Estel to play ball at the little park at the end of Oak Street in Windemere (town). Several other people are exercising their dogs there, too. About half an hour.

In the late morning, Dallas, Hannah, Estel and I walk to Bowness-on-Windemere and take a ferry to the west side of the lake. The ferry fare is only 50 pence, a real bargain. We then hike a loop through the commercial forest on the east side of the lake, north of Ferry House. The first segment is along a country lane that follows the lakeshore. We let Estel swim in the lake by a little beach, for though overcast, the day is humid and warm and she is already panting. We pass some stands of tall conifer trees and then connect with a bridle path that takes us steeply uphill onto the ridge crest. The path is paved with irregular flags and is rather slippery. We join a hiking trail and take it south. The ground vegetation – grass and fern – is wet, and we have a hard time finding a place to sit for lunch. We settle upon (literally) a set of small ledges right on the trail. We continue south after lunch, passing a clear-cut and an area replanted with small evergreens. The path back down to river level is very steep; its switches down a gulley next to a small stream. We pass the ruins of a nineteenth century stone pavilion, built to shelter the tourists of the day as they gazed out upon the lake. We then walked back to the ferry and took it back to Bowness-on-Windermere. The ferry ride was very stable; it gave me almost no sense of motion. Dallas pointed out that the boat ran on two steel cables, one on either side, that connect to the terminals – perhaps that is why it rocked so little. Dallas bought ice cream at a shop in Bowness-on-Windermere, and then the three of us had a snack at the Royal Oak, a pub. We then huffed back up the hill to Oakmere. About ten miles – six on the west side and four on the east side of Windermere (lake), in about five hours.

Thursday, September 26, 2013. Estel and I went for a long walk up in the Cumbrian Mountains north of Windermere (town). The morning is rather overcast and dim. Dallas joined us for the first mile or so, as we took the main road eastward from Windermere (town) in order to join a country lane that headed north, near Banner Hill. She then headed over to Orrest Head, while we continued northward, past the Common Farm and Moor Howe, to Dubbs Road. This country lane climbs northward up the western flank of a highland ridge up to a pass, and then crosses the ridge and descends eastward to the hamlet of Kentmere. The lane is in good shape as far as Dubbs Reservoir, a small impoundment created by a low earth-fill dam. It then degenerates to a rocky jeep track, crossing hummocky, grassy country full of sheep. The view westward toward the hamlet of Troutbeck is very nice, as is the view northward towards the highlands, and especially the conical hill called the Tongue. I connect with a hiking trail at spot called Garbun Nook, taking it northward along the ridge, which is called the Yoke. The trail rises and, though the land is mostly grassy and smooth, it passes several bare rocky crags. Estel and I stop at one of these rocks, just north of Rainsburrow Crag, for lunch, sheltering in the lee of the rocks, for the ridge is rather windy. I inspect the rock, which is a black volcanoclastic, shot through with quartz veins. We continue onward a bit further, to a large cairn. The southern sky has brightened a bit, and I have a nice view of Windermere (lake), the highlands behind it, and at the very limits of my vision, the sea. The sea seems bordered by a wide sandy – or muddy – margin. I can barely make out two very large adjoining buildings at the end of a promontory. I suppose these to be the Heysham Nuclear Power Station. We soon begin our return journey, hiking back down to Dubbs Road and then taking it eastward to Kentmere (hamlet). We cut through a group of buildings called The Nook to Kentmere Hall (farm), but get lost among a tangle of rock walls for a while. The sun begins to shine, lighting up the farms of Kentmere (hamlet) and the crags of the neighboring highlands very dramatically. The view eastward to the grassy hills east of Kentmere (hamlet) is especially beautiful. We take a country lane southward. If hugs the eastern flank of the same highland ridge whose western flank Dubbs Road hugs and passes through pastures full of sheep. We ford a small stream and eventually reach High House (farm), at the south end of the highland. We then head south along country roads, making our way back to Windermere (town). A total of 15.9 miles in about six hours.

Friday, September 27, 2013. Hannah’s friend, Anna Brinkman, joins Hannah, Dallas and I on a trip to Wray Castle, on the northwestern shore of Windermere (lake). The day is gorgeous; sunny and warm. We walk up the main road and board a double-decker tourist bus and head north to Ambleside, the town at the northern end of Windermere (lake). The group fare of 22 Pounds is rather exorbitant; but the much cheaper commuter buses run only very infrequently. We sit in the open air on the top level and admire the view of the lake and highlands that flash by. The bus takes us to the harbor in Ambleside. We have coffee at a shop by the lakeshore while we wait for a ferry to take us to Wray Castle. Ours is the Princess of the Lake, a beautiful polished wooden motor launch. The roundtrip fare is 7 Pounds. It takes us only a few minutes to cross the lake, dropping us off at the pier beneath the castle. Wray Castle is a moderate-sized stone mansion built in the 1820’s by an eccentric industrialist and now operated by the National Trust as a tourist attraction. Its huge lawn, full of sheep, allows a great view of the impressive highland crags. I tour the interior of the castle. It was acquired by the Trust unfurnished and in poor condition. The staff is working hard to restore and return it to something like its Nineteenth Century glory. I then walk a circle about the grounds. Many tall trees have been planted as ornamentals, including Giant Sequoia, Coast Redwood, Blue Atlas Cedar, as well as interesting smaller trees such as the Monkey Puzzle. The trunk of the Redwood is at least six feet in diameter. We eat lunch on the deck, enjoying the sun and the view. Hannah and Anna take the ferry back, but Dallas and I walk the lakeshore south to Ferry House, a distance of about four miles. The northern half, which is new to us, is similar to the southern, which we walked two days ago, except that it passes by several stone boat houses. Both sections have some very tall conifer trees, some over one hundred feet tall. The views across the lake, to its more inhabited eastern shore, are very nice. I can see the peak that Estel and I climbed yesterday. We arrive just in time to catch the next ferry to Bowness-on-Windermere. We then walk up the hill to Wildermere, stopping at an ice cream stand and the grocery store on the way. Overall, about six hours, of which two and a half are the hike from Wray Castle to Windermere (town).

After a snack at Oakmere, I take Estel to the park at the end of Oak Street. It is a beautiful evening and the grass and rock ledges are well-lit by the setting sun. We play ball for a half hour or so.

Saturday, September 28, 2013. Dallas and I kayaked in Windermere (lake) while Hannah, Anna and Estel hike in the highlands. The day was sunny and warm. We walk down to Bowness-on-Windermere and rent a tandem sit-on-top kayak (a Ocean Kayak Malibu Two XL) at Windermere Canoe/Kayak, located near the ferry terminal. We paddle past Belle Isle, the largest of the mid-lake islands, to the east shore and then follow the shoreline northward. We stop at the beach at Wray Castle, sitting on the grass and watching sailboats on the lake. A sloop anchors just offshore from us and three men in wetsuits swim ashore. We chat with them about swimming; they tell us that an athlete is trying to swim the full double-length of the lake today. We then continue our northward paddle, entering the little cove between Gale Naze Crag and Brathay Rock, at the extreme northern end of the lake. We loop past the Ambleside harbor, where we caught the ferry yesterday, and then head back south. We take a straight route back that cuts straight down the length of the lake. The views of the hills and highlands surrounding the lake are spectacular. We have to dodge a group of eight sailboats, who are racing one another. We stop briefly at tiny Thompson’s Holme (island) and then return to the kayak rental. About ten miles of kayaking in four hours, plus two miles of walking on both ends.

Sunday, September 29, 2 013. It’s another beautiful day. In the morning, I repeat Dallas and my walk to Orrest Head (hill) and Far Orrest (farm). I take Estel, but she refuses to climb the first hill, so I bring her back to Oakmere and start out again, alone. She must be worn out from yesterday’s highland hike. The views are wonderful today, especially since the distant highlands are still capped by picturesque clouds. I explore a little on the way back, finding the trail that leaves Windermere heading east, and mark it with bits of a plastic bag tore up for flagging. We will use this route later today. I pass a little stream, the same one that passes the Oak Street park. One section of it passes a beautiful garden. About two hours.

Around Noon, Dallas, Hannah, Anna and I walk to Ings, a hamlet east of Windermere along the main road (Windermer Road). We follow the flagging I put out earlier, collecting it as we go, until we reach the footpath heading east. Ings is only about three miles from Windermere (town), but our route loops south and, consequently, is more like five miles. We follow country lanes and public footpaths past the farms of Pinethwaite and Hag End, walking across rolling farmland crosses by small streams. We pass many fields with cows, horses and sheep, many stone walls and some patches of pretty bushes with yellow flowers. We cross under an arched stone railway bridge just south of Ings. We have supper at the Watermill Inn and Brewery Company in Ings, a beautiful building covered with fall-red vines. I have fish and chips as we sit outside on picnic tables in the Inn’s courtyard. We walk back by a route that loops to the north of the main road, circling about Banner Rigg (hill), taking a combination of country lanes and public footpaths. We stop at Orrest Head for its great view. This morning’s clouds have lifted from the highlands and the low sun angle is accentuating their relief. A cirque on a nearby highland ridge is particularly picturesque. It reminds me of Louis Agassiz’s discovery of the Ice Age, in the 1830’s and his subsequent debates with Charles Lyell, then Britain’s most senior geologist. Here, with the cirques and the glacial scratches on the ledges of Orrest Head, itself, the Ice Age stares one in the face. We sit on the hilltop bench, admiring the view of the lake and then head back, talking the eastern trail that crosses the Common Wood. About five hours (including lunch stop).

I take Estel for a quick trip to the park at the end of Oak Street. The sun is setting. Sheep, grazing on a neighboring hill, really stand out.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013. We are back in London, having taken the train back yesterday and having spent the night at Hannah’s apartment. Hannah takes Dallas, Estel and I on a walk to the Lordship Recreational Ground at Higham Road, a nearby park. It has a large central field with a walkway around its border, as well as a stream, a pond, a mountain bicycle course, a stunt bicycle course and a kid’s street bicycle course (laid out to resemble a city street grid). Hannah has brought a ball-thrower (a modern variant of a spear-thrower), so we were able to lob Estel’s ball especially far, giving her a chance to run vigorously. She was quite energetic, yet after a few 100-yard sprints took the ball aside with her to rest for a few minutes, sprawled out on the grass. The park has patches of wildflowers, including Queen Anne’s Lace and Roadside Aster, mostly gone to seed, yet some individuals still in bloom. Hannah made a brief stop at a nearby grocery store, while Dallas and I took turned lobbing Estel’s ball. We then walked around the pond, seeing some Mallard Ducks and Canada Geese. The morning was cool and overcast, with occasional thin sun. About an hour.

I took Estel for another brief walk in the park, just before Dallas and I left for Heathrow Airport.